Brian Krakower Sells 2,600 Shares of BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) EVP Brian Krakower sold 2,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.03, for a total transaction of $91,078.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $177,321.86. This represents a 33.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

BJRI traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $34.57. The company had a trading volume of 513,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 372,782. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.40. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.46 and a twelve month high of $47.02. The company has a market capitalization of $732.88 million, a PE ratio of 16.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $40.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.01.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06. BJ’s Restaurants had a return on equity of 13.82% and a net margin of 3.49%.The company had revenue of $355.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $353.71 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. BJ’s Restaurants’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BJRI. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 939 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 1,618.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 18.0% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BJRI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark raised their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Mizuho boosted their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.38.

About BJ’s Restaurants

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc is a publicly traded casual dining chain known for its deep‐dish pizzas, California‐style thin crust offerings and in‐house craft beer selections. Operating under the BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse brand, the company combines a microbrewery concept with full‐service dining, offering an extensive menu that includes appetizers, salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches and the signature Pizookie dessert.

Founded in 1978 in Orange County, California, BJ’s Restaurants began as BJ’s Chicago Pizzeria, bringing a Chicago‐style pizza experience to the West Coast.